3 Country Vocalists From the 1970s Who Rewrote the Genre’s Playbook

These country vocalists rewrote the playbook for country music in the 1970s. They took the genre’s conventions and turned them on their head. Without these iconic voices, country would’ve missed major milestones.

[RELATED: Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers Had the Whole Audience Singing Along During This Heartwarming 1976 Performance]

Willie Nelson

In the 1970s, Willie Nelson dropped his pop crossover appeal for the outlaw movement. His distinctive vocals helped establish the genre, breaking norms and building new ones. Take his outlaw breakout track, “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”, for example. This track rewrote country history, giving Nelson a new standard to live up to.

“In the twilight glow I see / Blue eyes crying in the rain / When we kissed goodbye and parted / I knew we’d never meet again,” the lyrics read. This song, and many others from Nelson outlaw era, gave country vocalists a new set of rules. His agile yet matter-of-fact vocals set a new standard.

Dolly Parton

Moving on to Dolly Parton. Parton was an icon throughout her career, but the 1970s saw her hit a particular stride. In this decade, she bridged her traditional country storytelling with a keen pop crossover. Songs like “Jolene”, “I Will Always Love You”, and “Here You Come Again” perfectly elucidate that shift.

“Here you come again / Just when I’ve begun to get myself together / You waltz right in the door, just like you’ve done before / And wrap my heart ’round your little finger,” she sings in the latter song, one of her biggest hits from the decade. This track is a fine example of the sonic shift Parton was verging on in this decade.

Johnny Cash

The 1970s saw Johnny Cash become the Man in Black. He shifted from a crooning country staple to a socially conscious protest artist. This transformative era for Cash also reshaped the country music world around him. “I wear the black for the poor, and the beaten down / Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town / I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime / But is there because he’s a victim of the times,” he sang in his nickname-giving song, forever rewriting the conventions of his career.

If one of the biggest voices in country music could take on the kind of subjects Cash routinely dissected in his 1970s songs, then all bets were off. Country music was forever impacted by the bold strokes Cash made in this decade.

(Photo by Tom Hill/WireImage)